News helicopter crashes, one dead

HOUSTON (AP) -- Federal investigators hope to learn what caused a television news helicopter to crash, killing the pilot, setting a business on fire and toppling power lines.

Published
12:00 am EST, Saturday, November 18, 2000

National Transportation Safety Board officials were expected to arrive at the crash site just west of downtown Houston on Friday.

According to police Sgt. K.E. Wenzel, the KRIV-TV helicopter crashed into a hair salon and burst into flames about 10 p.m. Thursday in foggy conditions.

"The chopper started making large circles, and then all of a sudden fell out of the sky," said Wenzel, who witnessed the accident as he was leaving a nearby restaurant.

Authorities said the pilot was the only person on board. The pilot's identity was not released early Friday.

The crash caused gas lines inside the salon to rupture, triggering a small fire. Police said no one was inside the building.

Several transformers blew, power lines were downed and electricity was cut to the area for a few hours.

KRIV news director Denise Bishop said the pilot worked for a company that leased the helicopter to the station. He likely was making the nightly return to the helicopter's home base, about 25 miles northwest of Houston, she said. The crash site is about midway along the 40-mile flight.

A resident, Pleas Doyle, said the pilot appeared to have been trying to set the chopper down in a nearby parking lot.

"He deserves a lot of credit for not crashing into the neighborhood," Doyle said.